Player-piano action



`June 10, 1924.

A. LILIANSTROM PLAYER PIANO ACTION Filed March 8,

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. UNITED STATES ALFRED LILIANSTROM, OIF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

PLAYER-PIANO ACTON.

Application filed Harsh 8, 1920. Serial No. 364,068.

T 0 {LZZ whom t may con-cern.'

Be it known that I, ALFRED Lrmaus'rncii, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State yof Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Player-Piano Actions, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to pneumatic player piano actions and particularly to those having-sections arranged in tiers.

An object of this invention is to provide a section which is simple and easy to manufacture, in which the number ot' parts is reduced to a minimum and which is strong` and durable, when assembled.

These kand other objects are accomplished by my invention which is fully described in lthe following specification as shown in the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a transverse vertical section thru one of the player action s cti-ens ou the line 1-1 of Fig. 2; and lig. 2 is a partial plan view of a tier of sections which constitutes avalve chest.

The section is made up of a horizcntal niember 10, to which are secured in side by side relation a series of narrow blocks 11, each of which forms the base of a striker pneumatic having a movable member 12 hingedly connected at 13 to the base, the base 11 and movable member 12 being connected by a iexible bellows 14. The movable member of the pneumatic is connected to the regular piano action in any suitable manner, as by means of a' rod 15 which is adjustably connected to a bracket 16 on the sticker 17, which is pivotally connected to the wippen 18 by means of the pin 19. These latter elements are well known and may be ii'xounted in the piano action in any well known mann ner.

Each horizontal member 10 extends substantially the length of the key-board, not shown, and is carried by the piano player in any suitable manner. This member is preferably made of a single integral piec of wood and has a suction chamber 20, which is cut therefrom for substantially its 'entire length. This chamber is covered by a plate 21, which is preferably glued or screwed thereto, so as to be practically airtight. The ends of the chamber are closed, and a passage 22 leads from one end of the chamber to the bellows, not shown, or other means for producing a vacuum.

r-i series of chambers 23 are formed longitudinally of the members, such chambers having a central opening extending completely thru the members and surrounded by a circular valve seat 241. ri. corresponding ralvc seat 25 is threaded and screwed in thru the upper part of the chamber L3, and has an opening 26 through which the chamber 23 communicates with the atmosphere. A doubled faced valve 27 having a stem 27 rests normally upon the lower valve seat 24, thereby closing it. The chamber 23 communicates at all times with the interior of the striker pneumatic 14 thru the passage 28 in the member 10 and the passage 29 in the base 11 of the striker pneumatic.

Immediately under the chamber 23 is formed a chamber 30 which is preferably made by removing material from both the under side of the horizontal member 10 and the upper side of the base 11'of the pneumatic. A flexible diaphragm 31 is secured in this chamber and has a button 32 at its center, which is immediately beneath the guide 27a of the valve 27, when the diaphragm 31 is at its lowest point. The part of the chamber 30 lying above the dia phragm communicates with the long suction chamber 20 thru the passage 33, while that part of the chamber 30 lying below the diaphragm communicates thru the passage 34 and the tube 35 with the tracker board, not shown, in any well known manner.

A recess 36 is formed in the edge of the member 10 and corresponds with each passage 3st and communicates therewith through a passage 37. The outer end of the recess 36 is closed by means of a screw 38, while the inner end communicates with the suction chamber 20 thru a passage 39 which is partly closed by bleeder valve 40 having a very line hole 41, therein.

The method of operation of my device is as follows: The various parts are normally .in the position shown and as soon as the bellows or other suction means is started, the suction chamber 20 is maintained under a partial vacuum. This assumes, of course, that there is a note-sheet covering that particular opening in the tracker board, which is connected to the tube 35. As soon, however, as an opening in the note sheet registers with this particular opening in the tracker board air is admitted to the tube 35 thru the passage 34 raising the diaphragm gf Y 1,497,521

3l and the valve 27. This closes communication vbetween the chamber 23' and the atmosphere thru the passage 26, and opens communication of the stri er pneumatic 14, with the chamber 23, which is now connected to the valve seat 24, the upper part of the chamber 30 in the passage 33 with the suction chest 20. The result is that the striker pneumatic 14 immediately collapses raising the sticker 17 and the wippen 18 cansing'the corresponding piano string to be struck by the hammer in aV well known manner.

y As soon as the opening in the note-sheet passes and the corresponding opening of the tracker board is again closed, the pressure in the passage 34 leaks thru the bleeder valve 41 so as to keep the pressure therein substantially equal' to that in the suction chest 20. The result is that the valve 27 is returned to the position' shown and" the air rushes in thru the passages 26 and to the striker pneumatic 14, which resumes the position shown, thereby returning the parts of the piano action to their normal position.

While I have shown and described but a single embodiment oit' my invention, it is to be understood that it is capable of many modiiications. Changes, therefore, in the construction" and arrangement may be made which do not depart from the spirit and scope of my invention as'disclo'sed in the appended claims,lin which it is my intention to Coverall novelty inherent in ythe device as broadly as possible, in view -of the prior art.

What I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is 1. In a playerpiano action, a tier of a sectional valve chest comprising an integral member having a longitudinal groove extending substantially the length thereof, an imperi'orate cover `for said groove, two opposed aligned valve seats in said member, a chamber therebetween, a valve movable'to engage either ofsaid seats', a striker .pneu-4 matic havingy a stationary block secured to the under side of said integral memberafnd communicating with said uchafmbfer, f a

connected to said valve, and a' passage'withff.

in said block connecting the lower side of said diaphragm withl the tube leading 'to the tracker board. ALFRED LILIANSTROM. 

